The 1997 Honda Accord has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,092,646 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 546 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN SEDANS, COUPES, HATCHBACKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN DEGRADE DUE TO THE HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED.
Consequence
WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 14, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
SUSPENSION99V0690001999-05-10124,875 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SEDAN, COUPE AND WAGON PASSENGER VEHICLES EXCEPT THE DX MODEL AND MODELS WITH V6 ENGINES. THE FACTORY INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONER WIRE HARNESS WAS IMPROPERLY ROUTED ALLOWING SOME WIRES TO RUB AGAINST EACH OTHER, EVENTUALLY CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence
THE SHORT CIRCUIT CANPOSSIBLY CAUSE THE UNDERHOOD WIREING TO OVERHEAT AND SMOKE, CAUSING A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A SHORT CIRCUIT CAN ALSO RESULT IN A BLOWN FUSE OR DEAD BATTERY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR PROPER ROUTING OF THESE WIRES. ANY HARNESS IMPROPERLY ROUTED WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND THE ROUTING WILL BE CORRECTED. IF ANY INSULATION IS WORN THROUGH AND THE COPPER WIRES ARE EXPOSED, THE HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED. DEALERS WILL ALSO INSTALL PLASTIC TUBING TO PROTECT…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
66
2crashes3injuries8deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
32
1crashes4fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
32
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
32
14crashes12injuries1deaths
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
27
12crashes9injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
19
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
17
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
17
3crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
16
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
14
Total complaints546
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Severe frame rust where suspension bolts to. Safety hazard.”
“I bought this car from a private owner about 2 months ago ever since I had it the car shuts off I think it o2 sensor is not working or it's gone the cv joint went out on the right side I had it replaced and it still messed up it's something with the suspension and stuff the front end alignments…”
“I bought this car from a private owner about 2 months ago ever since I had it the car shuts off I think it o2 sensor is not working or it's gone the cv joint went out on the right side I had it replaced and it still messed up it's something with the suspension and stuff the front end alignments…”
“I bought this car from a private owner about 2 months ago ever since I had it the car shuts off I think it o2 sensor is not working or it's gone the cv joint went out on the right side I had it replaced and it still messed up it's something with the suspension and stuff the front end alignments…”
“The contact owns a 1997 honda accord. The contact stated while driving 25 mph and attempting to slow down, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality however, the failure became a persistent failure. No warning lights…”
“While driving car speed starts to fall soon there is no pedal at all and smoke and fire come from underneath dashboard transmission hesitates to shift now currently un safe to drive.”
“While driving car speed starts to fall soon there is no pedal at all and smoke and fire come from underneath dashboard transmission hesitates to shift now currently un safe to drive.”
“While driving car speed starts to fall soon there is no pedal at all and smoke and fire come from underneath dashboard transmission hesitates to shift now currently un safe to drive.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Honda Accord as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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